In college I remember sitting down with these huge volumes containing translations of greek primary sources. I believe these volumes were first published in the early 1900's but are still the go-to for early research. I believe the author's last name started with an M. But I can't remember! Can anyone help me?

Basically between the rise of Sumer and Cyprus the Great how were homosexuals treated? Was it allowed or banned at various points in history. I understand this is a massive amount of time so any information would be wonderful.

I am watching this travesty of a historical fiction "Sons of Liberty" on [H]istory channel. They suggest that not only was Gage the informant allowing for Revere's ride but also that she was involved in an extra marital affair with Dr. Joseph Warren.

I can find no suggestion whatsoever that this is the truth. Is there any suggestions that this "documentary" is doing anything other than purely manufacturing truth?

Terry Pratchett has written a large number of Discworld novels that go something like: fantasy Renaissance-ish society comes to terms with a new technology or social movement.

These are works of complete fantasy and make zero pretense towards historical accuracy. I still wonder, though: do any of his books provide an interesting and accurate illustration of some feature of the real-world history of new tech or social movements?

Terry Pratchett makes a lot of jokes involving name-dropping of historical people and events (e.g. large parts of Soul Music are references to real musicians), but I'm looking for something a little deeper. The ideal example would be something that makes you, as a historian, say "Pratchett really did his research on this one (or had a fantastically luck accident); this captures a complex point about history quite well."

Example books:

Going Postal (modern postal systems, telegraphs)

Soul Music (rock & roll)

Moving Pictures (movies)

The Truth (newspapers)

Monstrous Regiment (early feminism)

and many, many more

I'm currently reading a book about the American Souix chieftain Red Cloud, the book entitled "The Heart of Everything That Is" by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. In the book they keep speaking about the mountain man Jim Bridger and how fundamentally important and present he was in many of the events which occurred in the American west. My questions are thus,

How truly important was he in these events? Was it simply due to timing or did he truly "get" what was going on? Which side was he truly on, was he on the side of the native tribes or on the American government?

And, a total aside, any recommendations on books about him? He seems like an incredibly fascinating character that no one really knows about.

One of the interesting facts I came across in Malcom Gladwell's book Outliers is an exert from "The Discovery of France" by historian Graham Robb. He describes families packing their bodies tight together in order to stay warm and eat less food during the long Winter months. Was this sort of hibernation prevalent in other cultures and to what extent? Seems like I would go mad after about 3 days of inactivity.

From my limited understanding, it seems we have seen no appreciable shift in US foreign policy since the days of the Cold War, and given that we are perpetuating these policies, it interests me to know how they've played out in arenas outside the Middle East. Why did the US choose to employ a strategy of political repression in South America and Southeast Asia, and how have these strategies played out in the long term? It seems that anti-US sentiment still runs high in these spheres, and one can't help wondering whether the instatement of sympathetic dictators and the facilitation of their oppressive regimes was truly the best way to stoke support and allegiance in a turbulent time (saying nothing about the rightness, or rather, wrongness of the work).

Obviously Adams played an important role in it all but the show almost makes it seem like without him there would be no Revolution. I'm just a little suspicious because the show itself is sponsored by the brewing company Samuel Adams.

What do we know about the literacy rates among the Aztecs and Maya? Was it limited to a particular social class/gender/etc. or was it found among people of all social classes? I'm assuming most of this information would come from murals/carvings, but I'm also interested in how we can figure this sort of thing out.

I recognize that literacy rates would have changed over time for both civilizations, but I'm interested in any information you might have.

I was watching an old, cheap, fantasy-oriented-but-has-a-historical-setting show the other day that mentioned Coyote, the trickster. First I did the "seriously?" because this was pre-1492 and a European character and I thought Coyote was fairly well-known as Native American mythology and a North American animal. Then I started to wonder just how old the myth was. So I came here to ask after being unable to find the answer on Wikipedia or through Google.

How would Transcendentalists view the Mexican-American War? What would they think the causes and goals were? Would they think it's worth the effort?

I'm studying American History, and neither my textbook, or my professor gave me an answer i'm satisfied with.

Why didn't Philippines become a state? It had the population to, it has great economic value, and would give the US a strong presence in the Pacific.